The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association最新文献

{"title":"Healthcare financing in Egypt: a systematic literature review.","authors":"Ahmad Fasseeh,&nbsp;Baher ElEzbawy,&nbsp;Wessam Adly,&nbsp;Rawda ElShahawy,&nbsp;Mohsen George,&nbsp;Sherif Abaza,&nbsp;Amr ElShalakani,&nbsp;Zoltán Kaló","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00089-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00089-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The Egyptian healthcare system has multiple stakeholders, including a wide range of public and private healthcare providers and several financing agents. This study sheds light on the healthcare system's financing mechanisms and the flow of funds in Egypt. It also explores the expected challenges facing the system with the upcoming changes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a systematic review of relevant papers through the PubMed and Scopus search engines, in addition to searching gray literature through the ISPOR presentations database and the Google search engine. Articles related to Egypt's healthcare system financing from 2009 to 2019 were chosen for full-text review. Data were aggregated to estimate budgets and financing routes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We analyzed the data of 56 out of 454 identified records. Governmental health expenditure represented approximately one-third of the total health expenditure (THE). Total health expenditure as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP) was almost stagnant in the last 12 years, with a median of 5.5%. The primary healthcare financing source is out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure, representing more than 60% of THE, followed by government spending through the Ministry of Finance, around 37% of THE. The pharmaceutical expenditure as a percent of THE ranged from 26.0 to 37.0%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although THE as an absolute number is increasing, total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP is declining. The Egyptian healthcare market is based mainly on OOP expenditures and the next period anticipates a shift toward more public spending after Universal Health Insurance gets implemented.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8741917/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39794047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ergonomic risk factors and musculoskeletal disorders in bank staff: an interventional follow-up study in Iran.","authors":"Majid Motamedzadeh,&nbsp;Mahdi Jalali,&nbsp;Rostam Golmohammadi,&nbsp;Javad Faradmal,&nbsp;Hamid Reza Zakeri,&nbsp;Iman Nasiri","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00097-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00097-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Long-term use of computer in a static mode may cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in bank staff. Considering the high number of bank employees in different countries, such as Iran, the risk factors of these disorders should be investigated in order to implement interventions required to reduce the risk factors. This study aimed to examine the risk factors of MSDs using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method and to perform an ergonomic intervention program with banking staff in Iran.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This interventional study was conducted on 277 bank employees in Iran. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (without any intervention), an educational intervention (EI) group, and a group receiving both educational and physical intervention (EPI). Before and after the intervention, the ROSA method and Nordic questionnaire were used to assess the risk factors of MSDs in office jobs and to investigate the prevalence of MSDs. Data were collected 2 weeks before and 9 months following the intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Before the intervention, the mean score of ROSA at workstations of all groups was above five with high risk. Nine months after the start of the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the mean ROSA score and its components in the two groups that received the intervention, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The results of the study of the prevalence of MSDs in the employees-before the intervention-indicate that the highest prevalence of MSDs in the control group was in areas of the neck (67.1%), back (64.4%), and lower back (63%). In the EI group, the highest prevalence of MSDs was in the neck (65.2%), lower back (61.6%), and back (60.7%) areas. In the EPI group, the discomfort areas were the neck (68.5%), shoulders (66.3%), and lower back (60.9%). Nine months after the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the prevalence of MSDs in the neck, shoulders, and lumbar regions of staff who received the intervention (P < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Nine months after performing the interventions, there was a relative improvement in workstations and prevalence of MSDs in various areas within the bodies of the bank staff. This study showed that using the ROSA method is appropriate for assessing the risk factors of office work and that it can identify deficiencies in workstations. These defects can be addressed by designing and implementing an EI program together with physical interventions according to the components of the ROSA method.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8665913/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39715739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The protective role of vitamin C in the management of COVID-19: A Review.","authors":"Mohammad Sarowar Uddin,&nbsp;Md Shalahuddin Millat,&nbsp;Prodip Kumar Baral,&nbsp;Mahmuda Ferdous,&nbsp;Md Giash Uddin,&nbsp;Md Shahid Sarwar,&nbsp;Mohammad Safiqul Islam","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00095-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00095-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) is globally deemed a significant threat to human life. Researchers are searching for prevention strategies, mitigation interventions, and potential therapeutics that may reduce the infection's severity. One such means that is highly being talked in online and in social media is vitamin C.</p><p><strong>Main text: </strong>Vitamin C is a robust antioxidant that boosts the immune system of the human body. It helps in normal neutrophil function, scavenging of oxidative species, regeneration of vitamin E, modulation of signaling pathways, activation of pro-inflammatory transcription factors, activation of the signaling cascade, regulation of inflammatory mediators, and phagocytosis and increases neutrophil motility to the site of infection. All of these immunological functions are required for the prevention of COVID-19 infection.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Considering the role of vitamin C, it would be imperative to administrate vitamin C for the management of severe COVID-19. However, there is no specific clinical data available to confirm the use of vitamin C in the current pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8665316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39804733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A semi-systematic review on hypertension and dyslipidemia care in Egypt-highlighting evidence gaps and recommendations for better patient outcomes.","authors":"Ashraf Reda, Hany Ragy, Kanwal Saeed, Mohammed Ashraf Alhussaini","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00096-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42506-021-00096-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Both hypertension and dyslipidemia are considered as major modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and their prevalence in Egypt has increased in recent years. Evidence-based systematic evaluation of data on hypertension and dyslipidemia is critical for effective patient-centric management to reduce the overall risk of CVDs in Egypt. This semi-systematic review aimed to quantify and identify data gaps in the prevalence and distribution of patient journey touchpoints including awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment, adherence, and control of hypertension and dyslipidemia to provide the basis for research prioritization, practice guidance, and health care reforms in Egypt.</p><p><strong>Main body: </strong>Structured search was conducted on MEDLINE and Embase to identify articles published in English between January 2010 and December 2019 that reported key patient journey touchpoints in hypertension and dyslipidemia management. Unstructured search was conducted on public or government websites with no date restriction. Data from all sources were extracted and presented descriptively. In total, 22 studies published between 1995 and 2020 on hypertension and dyslipidemia were included in the final analyses. The prevalence of hypertension in Egypt ranged from 12.1 to 59%. Studies reported awareness (37.5% and 43.9%), diagnosis (42% and 64.7%), treatment (24% and 54.1%), and adherence to antihypertensive medication (51.9%) to be low. Furthermore, the percentage of patients who had their blood pressure controlled ranged from 8 to 53.2%. The prevalence of dyslipidemia varied in the general population (range 19.2-36.8%) but was higher in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (50.9% and 52.5%) and coronary artery disease (58.7%). A national report indicated that 8.6% of the general population was screened for dyslipidemia; however, no data was available on the diagnosis and treatment rates. Among ACS patients, 73.9% were treated for dyslipidemia. Data indicated low levels of medication adherence (59%) among dyslipidemia patients, with overall low control rates ranging from 5.1 to 34.4% depending on CVD risk in populations including ACS patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Data on patient journey touchpoints of hypertension and dyslipidemia are limited in Egypt, indicating the need for more systematic and high-quality evidence-based studies covering different aspects of patient-centric management for better management of CVD and its risk factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8634749/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39949445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neglected cause of retinal detachment: a hospital-based case-control study on occupational heavy lifting as a risk factor.","authors":"Nayera S Mostafa,&nbsp;Radwa Nabil El Shereif,&nbsp;Ayat F Manzour","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00091-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00091-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Heavy lifting may lead to sudden increase in venous, intra-abdominal, and intraocular pressure which in turn may cause retinal detachment (RD). The epidemiological evidence for this association is still inconclusive. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between occupational heavy lifting and RD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A case-control study was carried out on 151 RD cases and 113 controls free of RD attending the ophthalmology outpatient clinic at Ain Shams University. Personal, medical, and occupational data were collected using interview questionnaires in addition to conducting full ophthalmologic examination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of study participants was 45.8 ± 9.1 years (46.8 ± 8.9, 44.4 ± 9.2 for RD cases and controls respectively). Statistically significant differences were found between cases and controls regarding years of working, occupational categories, frequency of occupational heavy lifting, non-work heavy lifting, history of head trauma, history of eye surgeries, and family history of RD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that lifting (Odds ratio (OR) = 4.8, p < 0.0001), history of head trauma (OR = 3.3, p = 0.013), diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 4.96, p < 0.0001), and previous eye surgeries (OR = 3.5, p = 0.003) increased the risk of RD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Occupational heavy lifting is associated with RD. Occupational categories, duration of lifting heavy objects during work and family history of RD had a significant effect on RD. An ergonomic approach should be adopted and practiced as it has a significant impact on reducing the risks of lifting and carrying heavy objects. The workplace's design (including having appropriate mechanical aids available) is also of significant importance to reducing the risks. During the patient's visit, ophthalmologists should consider and look for the occupational heavy lifting history as a potential risk factor of the patient's symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"31"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8595407/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39881765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of education through nurse-led telephone follow-up (telenursing) on the quality of life of COVID-19 patients.","authors":"Rasoul Raesi,&nbsp;Zahra Abbasi Shaye,&nbsp;Sam Saghari,&nbsp;Mohammad Ali Sheikh Beig Goharrizi,&nbsp;Mehdi Raei,&nbsp;Kiavash Hushmandi","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00093-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00093-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The widespread prevalence of COVID-19 has disrupted the social life, physical function, and daily activities of patients, leading to reduced quality of their lives. Because of the nature of this disease and its comprehensive impact on patients' lives, a follow-up based on the conditions of these patients is necessary. This study was conducted to determine the impact of nurse education and telephone follow-up (telenursing) on the quality of life of COVID-19 patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This quasi-experimental study included 120 COVID-19 patients discharged from 22nd-Bahman Hospital in Khaf city and was conducted over 6 months from July 20, 2020, to December 20, 2020. The participants were selected by convenience sampling method and were assigned into two matching groups. The training was delivered through telenursing based on the quality of life criteria for 1 month in the intervention group. The controls did not receive any intervention. Both groups completed the 36-item SF health survey before and 1 month after the intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The two groups were not significantly different regarding the quality of life mean scores at baseline (p = 0.61). However, after the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of the total life quality score was significantly different between the control and intervention groups (63.62 ± 3.93 versus 72.62 ± 3.51, p <0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Telenursing improves the life quality of COVID-19 patients. Through appropriate policies, health managers may put on the agenda the implementation of telenursing for COVID-19 patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8574947/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39599964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical evaluation of pregnant women with SARS-COV2 pneumonia: a real-life study from Egypt.","authors":"Samy Zaky,&nbsp;Hossam Hosny,&nbsp;Gehan Elassal,&nbsp;Noha Asem,&nbsp;Amin Abdel Baki,&nbsp;Ehab Kamal,&nbsp;Akram Abdelbary,&nbsp;Ahmad Said,&nbsp;Hamdy Ibrahim,&nbsp;Khaled Taema,&nbsp;Wagdy Amin,&nbsp;Sherief Abd-Elsalam,&nbsp;Shaimaa Soliman,&nbsp;Hend Salah Abdelmenam,&nbsp;Ahmed S Mohamed,&nbsp;Mohamed Elnady,&nbsp;Mohamed Hassany,&nbsp;Hala Zaid","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00092-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00092-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Knowledge about the outcome of COVID-19 on pregnant women is so important. The published literature on the outcomes of pregnant women with COVID-19 is confusing. The aim of this study was to report our clinical experience about the effect of COVID-19 on pregnant women and to determine whether it was associated with increased mortality or an increase in the need for mechanical ventilation in this special category of patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a cohort study from some isolation hospitals of the Ministry of Health and Population, in eleven governorates, Egypt. The clinical data from the first 64 pregnant women with COVID-19 whose care was managed at some of the Egyptian hospitals from 14 March to 14 June 2020 as well as 114 non-pregnant women with COVID-19 was reviewed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The two groups did not show any significant difference regarding the main outcomes of the disease. Two cases in each group needed mechanical ventilation (p 0.617). Three cases (4.7%) died among the pregnant women and two (1.8%) died among the non-pregnant women (p 0.352).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The main clinical outcomes of COVID-19 were not different between pregnant and non-pregnant women with COVID-19. Based on our findings, pregnancy did not exacerbate the course or mortality of COVID-19 pneumonia.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8567119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39590745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and psychometric properties of a questionnaire to evaluate sustainable waste separation behavior and environmental health promotion.","authors":"Mahnaz Solhi,&nbsp;Esmat Heydari,&nbsp;Leila Janani,&nbsp;Mahdi Farzadkia","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00090-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00090-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Assessment of benefits and barriers of waste separation at source is necessary to identify the effective factors in this field. This study aims at designing and validation of a questionnaire assessing the barriers and benefits of waste separation at source from the viewpoint of women based on the community-based social marketing model in Genaveh Township, Bushehr, Iran METHODS: In phase 1, a literature review and focus group discussion were conducted to identify the barriers and benefits of waste separation at the source and to design the items and questionnaires. In phase 2, a psychometric evaluation was performed, including face validity, content validity, structural validity, and reliability. Data were analyzed by SPSS and R software.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 56 initial items, seven items with the content validity ratio less than 0.56 were removed, and one with the content validity index less than 0.79 was reviewed. Content validity ratio of the questionnaire was 0.782 and content validity index 0.957. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the five and seven-factor models showed good fit. Considering the possible existence of some items in several factors, confirmatory factor analysis was used in the next step. Finally, two items were removed and two others were displaced. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed by internal consistency (α = 0.92) and its stability by the test-retest (ICC = 0.83).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The valid and reliable 48-item questionnaire is a suitable instrument for assessing the barriers and benefits of waste separation at source from the viewpoint of women based on the community-based social marketing model in Genaveh Township, Bushehr.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8548451/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39558819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and beta thalassemia carriers among relatives of beta thalassemia patients in Nile Delta region, Egypt: a multicenter study.","authors":"Mohamed R El-Shanshory,&nbsp;Laila M Sherief,&nbsp;Hoda M Hassab,&nbsp;Seham M Ragab,&nbsp;Sohier Yahia,&nbsp;Ahmed K Mansour,&nbsp;Adel S Ahmed,&nbsp;Said H Abdou,&nbsp;Amal M Helmy,&nbsp;Mona M Watany,&nbsp;Ahmed M Gad ALllah,&nbsp;Myriam A Guindy,&nbsp;Zeinab I Mourad,&nbsp;Mohamed A Soliman,&nbsp;Reham M El-Farahaty,&nbsp;Faeza El-Dahtory,&nbsp;Ahmad Darwish,&nbsp;Suzy Abd Elmabood,&nbsp;Ibrahim A Kabbash,&nbsp;Shimaa M Saied","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00088-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00088-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Screening of β thalassemia among close relatives is more feasible in highly prevalent countries with limited resources. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of β thalassemia carriers and iron deficiency anemia among relatives of β thalassemia patients in Mid Delta, Egypt.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a cross-sectional multi-center study conducted on 2118 relatives of patients with β thalassemia from different Egyptian governorates in the Mid Delta region. They were subjected to history taking with precise determination of geographic location, general examination, and the following investigations: complete blood counts, serum ferritin for those who showed microcytic hypochromic anemia, and high-performance liquid chromatography for those who were not diagnosed as iron deficiency anemia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The total prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among close relatives of confirmed β thalassemia patients in the Nile Delta region was 17.19%. The highest prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (45.05%) was reported in Al-Gharbia Governorate, followed by Al-Menoufia Governorate (21.67%), and the lowest prevalence was that of Al-Sharkia Governorate (4.91%). The differences were highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). β thalassemia carrier prevalence rate in the studied relatives was 35.84%, with the highest prevalence detected in Al-Sharkia Governorate (51.32%), followed by Kafr-Alsheikh and Al-Dakahilia Governorates (41.78%, 37.13%) respectively, while Al-Menoufia Governorate had the lowest prevalence rate (25.00%). These differences were also highly statistically significant (p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>More than one-third of relatives of patients with β thalassemia are carriers of the disease, while 17.19% suffer from iron deficiency anemia. This study demonstrates the importance of tracing the high number of beta thalassemia carriers among relatives of patients with β thalassemia in Egypt.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 1","pages":"27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8505559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39505336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COVID-19: an opportunity to re-evaluate the implementation of a One Health approach to tackling emerging infections in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries.","authors":"Olaniyi Ayobami,&nbsp;Godwin Mark,&nbsp;Zaharat Kadri-Alabi,&nbsp;Chioma Rita Achi,&nbsp;Joy Chinwendu Jacob","doi":"10.1186/s42506-021-00085-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42506-021-00085-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>One Health (OH) has resurfaced in the light of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. It has been accepted by many local and global health authorities as a suitable approach for preventing and responding to infectious disease outbreaks including pandemics.</p><p><strong>Main body: </strong>One Health (OH) is a multisectoral and interdisciplinary framework for managing the animal, human, and ecosystem determinants of health. Globally, the majority of emerging infections in humans including SARS-Cov2-the causative agent of COVID-19-are transmitted from animals through environmental contacts in the last few decades. Yet, even when the biological and social interactions at the human, animal, and environmental interface that drive spillover of zoonotic diseases have been proven, OH strategies to address associated complex health challenges today are still rudimentary in many national health systems. Despite the disproportionate burden of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, OH is minimally incorporated into routine disease control and national health security programs. Challenges include poor policy support for OH in sub-Saharan Africa, and where some form of policy framework does exist, there are significant implementation bottlenecks. In this paper, we identified ideological, technical, operational, and economic barriers to OH implementation in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa, and highlighted possible recommendations across these domains. In order to yield sustainable benefits, a relevant OH policy approach in the sub-Saharan African health systems must derive from a buy-in of the critical mass of stakeholders in the society.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The implementation of sustainable OH approaches as a countermeasure to recurring emerging infections is a developmental priority for sub-Saharan African countries. A deep understanding of the local context must be leveraged to develop integrative OH solutions that are bold, rooted in science, and proven to be compatible with the level of development in sub-Saharan Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":22819,"journal":{"name":"The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association","volume":"96 ","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8378104/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"39341530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}